Three Big Mistakes That Ruin Good Projects

I was refinishing some furniture recently, and found myself thinking about
the three classic mistakes that people make when managing project workflow.

Mistake #1 - Starting with the most visible parts first

Years ago, whenever I was doing a project I’d start with the most prominent
part first. For example, wen my husband and were putting up wallpaper in our
first home’s foyer, I couldn’t wait to get it up. So we started with the big
wall immediately opposite the front. Which is why for several years the most
visible part of our home had a line of crooked wallpaper right in the middle of
it. We should have started in a less prominent place to build our skills before
we tackled the big showy part.

When I work with clients, I advise starting projects with a few easy
backstage action items first. You want to be able to get your feet wet on the
less critical parts, so that you have skills and confidence before you tackle
the largest most visible elements. But don’t wait too long

Mistake # 2 - Saving the hardest part for last

Building up your experience works, but only to a point. If you save the
hardest parts for last, you’ll find yourself running out of time and energy.
Exhibit A for this classic mistake is the dresser I refinished where I saved the
top part for last thinking that by the end, I’d have perfected my glazing
technique. Wrong. I peaked midway, by the end, I was tired, it was late and I
was just slapping glaze on the thing like a drunken housewife trying to douse a
cheap ham. Which is why there is now a lamp and a book sitting at odd angles on
top of said dresser to cover my sloppy late night work.

When you’re planning workflow, put the most important elements in the middle.
You’ll be experienced enough to do them well, but not so pushed for time that
you rush. For a recent client project, we scheduled the high profile all hands
meeting for the mid point. We had some quick wins we could share, and we
generated internal enthusiasm to carry us over the finish line.

Mistake #3 – Not starting because you don’t know how it will end

I know, Stephen Covey says, start with the end in mind. It’s good advice that
can keep you from aimless endeavors. But you don’t have to know exactly how
things will turn out to start. The best advice I got on this came from Meryl
Streep, well, actually her husband. Meryl Streep was doing many films about
foreign women with heavy accents and dramatic stories. A reporter asked her, how
do you get into the character, what do you do first, the accent, the movements,
the backstory, what? Streep said, “I learned from my husband who is a sculptor,
just start. Pick whatever place seems the most interesting, or doable, and just
start.”

I’ve followed this advice for years. I don’t start my book in the beginning,
some I’ve started in the middle, others with the end. I start projects with the
parts that seem manageable. I advise clients to start with the places they find
interesting. Because here’s the thing, once you start, you’re in. If it’s the
right project, the work itself will give you energy.

Lisa Earle McLeod is a sales leadership consultant.
Companies like Apple, Kimberly-Clark and Pfizer hire her to help them create
passionate, purpose-driven sales forces. She the author of several books
including
Selling with Noble Purpose: How to Drive Revenue and Do Work That
Makes You Proud, a Wiley publication, released Nov. 15, 2012. She has appeared
on The Today Show, and has been featured in Forbes, Fortune and The Wall Street
Journal. She provides executive coaching sessions, strategy workshops, and
keynote speeches.